Coeur d’Alene School District officials are cheering the passage of a two-year, $25 million-a-year supplemental levy. That levy won more than 63% support in yesterday’s primary election in Idaho. An identical measure was narrowly defeated in March and district officials had identified ways to cut about a quarter of the budget in case this version was also defeated. But voters stepped up this time and district officials say they’re grateful.
Board chair Rebecca Smith said in a statement released by the district that she realizes there’s still work to do to regain the trust of voters and she vowed to find better ways to involve parents and community members.
In nearby Rathdrum, there are sighs of relief as it appears two school-related measures that had failed in March also appear to be winning. A two-year supplemental levy that needed a simple majority has about 54% of the vote. A plant facilities levy that needs 55% approval has that, barely.
The news was not so good for the West Bonner County School District in Priest River, where a supplemental levy has about 48.5% of the vote. [Editor's note: This is corrected information. We mistakenly reported this morning that this levy had been approved.]
In Bonners Ferry, voters have approved a one-percent local option tax to pay for local services. In Kellogg, voters said yes to an increase in the city’s local option tax for short-term rental properties.
Voters in the Community Library Network, serving much of Kootenai and all of Shoshone counties, have chosen to replace two members of the library’s board of trustees in an election that many saw as a referendum on free speech. Tom Hanley and Tim Plass defeated incumbents Regina McCrea and Judy Meyer. They have pledged to pull obscene materials off the library shelves.
